Kentwood Residents Report “Possible Tornado” Touchdown

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Kentwood Residents Report “Possible Tornado” Touchdown

KENTWOOD, Mich. (July 7, 2014) – Lightning lit the skies followed by the crackling of thunder in a storm Sunday night that left Kentwood dark and damaged.

“It just started rumbling and the windows started to cave in: the back windows busted back here. A limb came through in the front window, right here this window,” said Kevin, a Kentwood resident.

From one block to the next, trees and power lines are tangled throughout streets, and cars lost under debris.

“The neighbors next door, their garage is on top of their cars. Down the way, he lost like five cars. We didn’t take the blunt end of it, but we took some of it,” Kevin told Fox 17 News.

Early Monday morning traffic was backlogged in the city: on 52nd Street SE local resident Grant Dubridge tried to direct drivers away from down power lines. He told Fox 17 News that the strong winds sounded like an oncoming train, and estimated they lasted one minute, and then were gone.

“I opened the front door and it just about blew me backwards into the room. I told everybody to get in the basement, get under the house as fast as you can,” explained Dubridge.

Others said they rushed in from out of town to get generators running for their loved ones without power.

“My grandma she’s on bed rest right now, her oxygen was out from the power outage, so it was a freaky situation for a minute,” said Alan Menzel.

According to the National Weather Service, their crews will be surveying southern Kent County Monday to make a full damage assessment. As of early Monday morning, National Weather Service preliminary reports indicate a microburst or possible tornado struck the area.